DORTMUND: Bundesliga top scorer Harry Kane scored twice in 16 minutes and Joshua Kimmich snatched an 87th-minute winner as visitors Bayern Munich battled from a goal down to beat title rivals Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in a pulsating Der Klassiker on Saturday.
The win, thanks to Kimmich’s stunning late volley, moved Bayern a big step toward retaining their crown. The Bavarians are 11 points clear of second-placed Dortmund with the Ruhr valley club’s title hopes all but ended with 10 games remaining.
England captain and man-of-the-match Kane, who equalled a league record with at least two goals in four consecutive matches, has now netted 30 times in 24 league games this season.
The 32-year-old is looking to break the all-time Bundesliga record of 41 goals held by Robert Lewandowski. He also matched a league record with his 10th converted penalty.
Kane’s scoring form has carried him to the brink of a second league title with Bayern while also helping them reach the German Cup semifinals and Champions League Round of 16, with the World Cup start just over three months away.
Dortmund, who were eliminated by Atalanta in the midweek Champions League playoffs, needed a win to have any realistic chance of staying in contention for the championship.
“It’s a huge win for us in this title race,” Kane said. “We managed to come back from behind, we played our game and knew they would be tired after playing midweek.
“We never gave up. It’s really special to come and win here. We can be proud of this win,” he said.
The visitors made a strong start with five efforts on goal before Dortmund scored against the run of play when Nico Schlotterbeck headed in Daniel Svensson’s corner after 26 minutes.
But Kane was left unmarked in the 54th to tap home from a Serge Gnabry header before converting a penalty after 70 minutes to put the visitors ahead.
Dortmund levelled through Svensson’s superb 83rd-minute volley in a rollercoaster finale but the visitors bounced back once more to snatch the three points when Kimmich blasted home a superb late volley of his own.
Kane double, Kimmich strike give leaders Bayern 3-2 comeback win at Dortmund
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Kane double, Kimmich strike give leaders Bayern 3-2 comeback win at Dortmund
- The win, thanks to Kimmich’s stunning late volley, moved Bayern a big step toward retaining their crown
- The Bavarians are 11 points clear of second-placed Dortmund
NEOM concede at the death for the second week in a row as Al-Taawoun salvage late draw
- NEOM narrowly lost to Al-Nassr 1-0 last weekend after Mohamed Simakan scored an injury-time winner
- Al-Taawoun followed up with a late equalizer by Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi to deny them three points
RIYADH: The Saudi Pro League returned for Matchday 26, with the table beginning to take its final shape as the season enters its final quarter. The title contenders kick off on Friday and Saturday, but Thursday’s action focused on a clash between upper mid-table sides NEOM and Al-Taawoun, alongside three relegation-battlers — Al-Najma, Damac and Al-Kholood — attempting to improve their standings.
In Tabuk, NEOM played out a 2-2 draw with Al-Taawoun, this season’s surprise package under the returning Pericles Chamusca. After a brilliant start to the campaign that saw them spend much of the season in the top four, a poor run of just one win in their last eight games has followed.
Al-Taawoun’s late equaliser was vital in their bid to maintain a spot in the top five. With Al-Ittihad lurking just three points behind and yet to play this weekend, every point matters for the Wolves of Qassim. Regardless, it has become a painful second half of the season for Chamusca’s side, as they now sit 12 points behind the top four.
After a heroic performance from Luis Maximiano against Al-Nassr last weekend, NEOM were unfortunate to leave Riyadh empty-handed after conceding at the death. There were still plenty of positives from the defeat, as Christophe Galtier’s squad appear to have finally hit second gear this season.
Calm and collected against Al-Nassr, they repeated the same approach against Al-Taawoun. Knowing their opponents thrive on space in the transition, NEOM prevented them from accessing wingers Marin Petkov and Biel, leaving star striker Roger Martinez isolated for most of the match.
Amadou Koné and Abdoulaye Doucouré did their part to disrupt the centre of Al-Taawoun’s block, with the former driving forward and the latter drifting in between the lines to create the opener. In the 23rd minute, Al-Taawoun’s defence were pulled apart as Luciano Rodríguez met Doucouré’s precise through ball to slot home.
NEOM maintained their composure throughout the match, but it took a wonder strike from Martinez to bring the visitors level in the 70th minute, the Colombian producing a superb strike from distance.
It only took six minutes for NEOM to respond. Saïd Benrahma broke down the Al-Taawoun defence once again, releasing Alexandre Lacazette for a powerful finish to restore the hosts’ lead.
Despite the strong performance from NEOM, they ultimately fell victim to another late setback. Substitute Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi surged down the flank in stoppage time before cutting inside and curling a precise finesse shot beyond Maximiano to salvage a point.
Elsewhere, Damac continued their resurgence under Fabio Carrille with a 3-1 victory over Al-Najma, who remain rooted to the bottom of the table. The win moves Damac six points clear of Al-Riyadh in the relegation zone, while Al-Najma sit 14 points from safety with eight matches remaining.
Meanwhile, Al-Hazem secured a late victory after Abdulaziz Al-Dwehe netted an 86th-minute winner in a 2-1 triumph over Al-Kholood. It was a frustrating night for the Saudi Pro League’s all-time leading scorer Omar Al-Somah, who missed a penalty for the winners in the 60th minute.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Friday, with Al-Fayha hosting Al-Ettifaq and Al-Riyadh welcoming Al-Ittihad at 10:00pm. The headline fixture of the evening — kicking off at the same time — sees second-placed Al-Ahli travel to face fourth-placed Al-Qadsiah. Victory for Al-Ahli against tough opposition would strengthen their title push, while defeat for Al-Qadsiah could effectively end their unlikely championship hopes.
